Street sweeper



Dec. 27, 1966 11F. MURPHY 3,293,679

STREET swEEPER Filed Aug. 1o, 1965 2 sheetsheet 1 fad i 454g-- 4 I ,y |l 7770/2705 f.' Murphy INVENTOR;

Dec. 27, 196e T, r-. MURPHY' STREET SWEEPER 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. l0, 1965 /wmas Murphy INVENTOR.

Arron/YS United States Patent G 3,293,679 STREET SWEEPER Thomas F. Murphy, 1625 Terrace Road, Homewood, Ill. 60541 Filed Aug. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 478,555 11 Claims. (Cl. 15--84) This invention relates to street sweepers and more particularly to improved hoppers for street sweepers which are operable to dump debris collected therein, into another truck, a refuse dump area and the like.

In the past, the hoppers on street sweepers were of a construction such that the debris collected therein had to be dumped on the street in a pile and again picked up and loaded into a truck for hauling to a dump site. The cost of picking up the piles of street dirt dumped by the sweepers practically doubles the cost of street sweeping. Experts in the street sweeping field have for years sought a solution to this problem of double handling, and hence double expense. Eiforts to solve this problem have been attempted, but have resulted Vin complicated conveyors and other system which have added heavily to both the initial and maintenance cost of a sweeper. As an example of a construction typical of the prior art, see U.S. Patent 3,162,877, issued December 29, 1964 to Schmidt et al. which discloses a front end loader or hopper.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hopper for street sweepers which are operable to dump debris collected therein, directly into another truck, a refuse dump area and the like.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved hopper of the above described type which is adaptable to presently available street sweepers, with little modification.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved hopper of the above described type which is completely automatic in operation.

Itis still another object of the present invention to provide an improved hopper for street sweepers which adds very little to the initial cost of a street sweeper and will because of the simplicity of its construction reduce maintenance costs over that experienced with available hopper systems.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sweeper hopper which will dump to the side of the sweeper. This feature is particularly important in expressway sweeping so that a minimum of space is required to make the transfer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sweeper hopper whose bottom is above the chassis frame permitting the installation of a gutter broom or brooms below this hopper. 'Dhis feature contributes to design cornpactness which, in turn, results in greater sweeper maneuverab'ility.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The above objectives are accomplished with a hopper which, according to the present invention, generally comprises a box that is pivotally retained between a pair of pivot support members. These latter support members may be iixedly secured to the chassis of a street sweeper so that the hopper is easily adapted to existing street sweepers. A pair of lever arms pivotally secured to the support members and to the box are operated by means of hydraulic cylinders, to pivotally swing the box towards the side of the street sweeper so that the box can be dumped into another truck, or as desired.

The `invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exempliiied in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

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For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a street sweeper, having a hopper exemplary of the present invention afxed thereto;

FIG. 2 is a partial top view of the street sweeper of FIG. 1, illustrating the hopper construction;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 1, illustrating the hopper construction, with the 110pper lifted and pivoted to three diierent operative positions; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating the hopper in its extreme positions.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a street sweeper 10 comprising a standard unmodified truck body 11, upon which is mounted a single swing-type gutter broom assembly 12,

l iixed to existing street sweepers, and for this reason the i construction and have one leg -iixedly secured to the chassis of the truck 11, with the other one of its legs extending vertically upward. The pivot support members 24 and 25 can also be rectangular or triangular members but, in any case, they should be of a rigid construction, in order to support the weight of the hopper 19 and its contents when the hopper is being lifted for dumping.

As may be best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pivot support members 24 and 25 may be formed of two I beams 27 and 28. The I beam 28 is mounted on end and iixedly secured to the I beam 27, by welding or the like. A support plate 30 may be xedly secured to the I beams 27 and 28, in the corner formed by them, to provide additional support for retaining them in alignment. If still additional support is desired, another plate can be iixedly secured to the opposite side of the I beams 2-7 and 28.

A flange 29 is iixedly secured to the I beam 28, beside the plate 30, or between the plates if two of them are used. The flange 29 has an aperture (not shown) formed therein for receiving a pivot pin 34 which functions to pivotally retain a bracket 38 secured to the end of a hydraulic cylinan arm portion 41 and an angularly disposed enlarged end` portion 42. Two apertures (not shown) are formed in the end portion 42, along an axis which is angularly positioned with respect to the axis of the arm portion 41 as seen in FIG. 3.

A `bracket 46 which is iixedly secured to the `end of -the piston 43 of the hydraulic cylinder 39 is pivotally secured to the lever arm 40, by means of a pivot pin 45 passed through apertures formed in the bracket 46 and the -lower most aperture in the lever arm 40. A bracket 49 tixedly secured to the end of a yhydraulic cylinder 5th is pivotally secured to the lever arm 40, by means t; of a pivot pin 51 passed through apertures formed in the bracket 49 and the upper most aperture formed in the end portion 42 of the lever arm 40. The piston 55 of the hydraulic cylinder 50 has a bracket 54 fixedly secured to its end, which bracket is pivotally secured by a pivot pin 52 to a mounting bracket S6 afhxed to the side wall of the hopper 19.

It may be noted that the hopper 19 rests on the chassis of the truck 11. This construction provides the additional advantage of permitting installation of gutter brooms 13 and 14 below the hopper 19. This feature contributes to design compactness, and results in greater sweeper maneuverability.

Initially, when the hopper 19 is resting on the chassis of the truck 11, the lever arm 49 is preferably at an angle of approximately 45, so that it bisects the 90 angle of the corner of the hopper 19. When so positioned, the hydraulic cylinder 50 is at an angle of approximately 20 from a horizontal plane, and the hydraulic cylinder 39 is at an angle of approximately 30 from a vertical plane. While other positioning could be used, experiments have shown that the described arrangement provides good mechanical advantage for the lever arms, formed by the lever `arm 4t) and the hydraulic cylinders 39 and 50.

The hydraulic cylinders 39 and 50 are preferably of like size and construction so that the forces exerted by, and upon, them are approximately the same. The hydraulic cylinder 39 pivots the lever arm 40 approximately 90 about the pivot point defined by the pivot pin 37, and the hydraulic cylinder 50 pivots the hopper 19 about the same pivot point, so that the upper or top edge of the hopper 19 is approximately 50 from a horizontal plane, alongside of the street sweeper 10.

The operation of the above described hopper construction can be best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein the hopper 19 is shown elevated to a number of different positions which are superimposed upon one another. To dump the hopper 19, the hydraulic cylinders 39 and 59 are each operated, preferably simultaneously, to expel their respective pistons 43 and S5. The piston 43 upon being expelled forces `the lever arm 40 to pivot upwardly and clockwise, about the pivot pin 37. It can be seen that this action moves the pivot pin '51 upward and in a clockwise fashion about the pivot point defined Aby the pivot pin 37. The force exerted upon the lever arm 40 by the hydraulic cylinder 39 is transferred to the hopper 19, by the fixed arm defined by the hydraulic cylinder 50 and its piston 5S which are secured to the lever arm 40 and the hopper 19, respectively. The hydraulic cylinder 59 and hence the hopper 19 is therefore caused to pivot clockwise about the same pivot point.

The hopper 19 is also pivoted by the simultaneous operation of the hydraulic cylinder 50. It will be observed that while the hydraulic cylinder 39 and its piston S5 define a fixed arm, the length of the arm is variable as the piston 55 is expelled. As the length of the arm is increased, the hopper 19 is -caused to pivot about the pivot point defined by pivot pin 37. The operation of the hydraulic cylinders 39 and 50 therefore complement one another in pivoting the hopper 19.

It is apparent that the hydraulic cylinders 39 and 50 could be operated sequentially to effect the same above described operation. For example, hydraulic cylinder 39 could be operated to force the lever arm 40 to pivot to its extreme position and the hydraulic cylinder 50 then operated to pivot the hopper 19, to its maximum limit.

It is also apparent that only the hydraulic cylinder 39 can be used, on each side of the hopper 19, to pivot the hopper 19. In such a case, the one end of the lever arms 40 are pivotally connected directly to the hopper 19. When the hydraulic cylinders 39 are operated, a force is transferred directly to the hopper by the lever arms 40 to pivot the hopper 19.

When the hopper 19 is pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 4, the doors 60 and 61 will swing open, by gravity and by the weight of the debris within the hopper. The door 60 forms a chute for directing the debris into another truck and the like and the door 61 forms a shield to deect the debris into the truck. A chain stop 63 is provided for the door 60 so that it can only open so far, and will automatically close by Igravity when the hopper 19 is restored to its normal position. Side skirts can be provided for the door 60, if desired, to provide a closed chute. If provided, the side skirts can also function as a stop for the door titl.

The side wall of hopper 19 adjacent the conveyor 18 is cut-away to provide an opening through which the debris can be dumped into the hopper. The end of the conveyor assembly may have a resilient gasket or the like about it, so that the opening into the hopper can be effectively sealed when the hopper 19 is in its lowered position. The resilient gasket also permits the hopper 19 to be dumped, without interfering with the conveyor 1S. It is apparent that the conveyor 18 could be arranged so as to dump the debris into the top of the hopper 19, by providing an opening in its top.

This arrangement is objectionable, however, since some of the debris is blown away as the street sweeper is being driven.

The hydraulic system of the street sweeper 10 can advantageously be of the type including a hydraulic multisection pump driven by an independent gasoline engine. An arrangement of this type is preferred since the conveyor 18, the brooms and the hopper 19 can be operated independently of the prime moving force for the street sweeper. If desired, however, a power take off drive from the transmission or flywheel of the truck 11 or a direct drive from the engine of the truck, as well as `other similar arrangements, could be used.

The hydraulic motors for the conveyor 1S and the sweeper brooms and the hydraulic cylinders can be connected through four-way valves, to the multisection pump. These valves can be adapted to be operated from a central position within the cab of the truck 11, so that yone man can operate the street sweeper. The multisection pump and an `oi-l supply tank can be mounted on the truck chassis, behind the hopper 19. Supply lines are appropriately coupled to each of the hydraulic motors, cylinders and valves.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made Iapparent from. the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims rare intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might Ibe said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described, what is claimed as new and desired to he secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A street sweeper comprising, in combination: a chassis; a hopper mounted -on said chassis for storing p debris; a conrveyor means mounted on said chassis for conveying debris to said hopper; .a broom means operably associated with said conveyor means; a pivot frame extending upwardly to substantially the top of said hopper, a pivot at the upper end thereof and means for pivoting said hopper about said pivot to dump said hopper to one side of said street sweeper.

2. A street sweeper comprising, in combination: .a chassis; a hopper assembly mounted on said chassis, said hopper assembly including an upwardly extending pivot frame, a hopper for storing debris, a pivot at the upper end of said pivot frame upon which said hopper is pivoted, a lever arm pivotally coupled to said hopper and to said pivot frame, means co-upled to said lever arm and to said pivot frame for moving said lever arm to pivot said hopper about said pivot to dump said hopper to one side of said street sweeper; a conveyor mounted on said chassis for conveying debris to said hopper; a ybroom means operably associated with said conveyor and means for operating said conveyor and said hopper assembly.

3. A street sweeper comprising, in combination: a chassis; a hopper assembly including a pivot frame comprising a pair of spaced apart support members, each of said support members being iiXedly secured to said chassis, pivots at the upper ends of said support members, a hopper positioned between said support members and normally resting on said chassis and pivoted upon said pivots at its upper end, at least one lever arm pivotally secured to one of said support members, a first means coupled to said lever arm and to said support member for moving said lever arm, a second means coupled to said lever arm and to said hopper for pivoting said hopper about said pivot when said first means moves said lever arm to dump said hopper to one side of lsaid street sweeper; a conveyor for conveying debris to said hopper; a Ibroom means operably associated with said conveyor; and means for operating said conveyor and said broom means.

4. A street sweeper comprising, in combination: a chassis; a hopper assembly including a pivot frame comprising a pair of spaced apart L-shaped support members, one leg of each of said support members being iixedly secured to said chassis, with the other leg thereof extending vertically upward, pivots at the upper end of said vertical leg, a hopper positioned between said support members and normally resting on said chassis 4and pivoted upon sa-id pivots, a lever arm pivotally secured to the upper end of each of said vertically positioned legs, iirst hydraulic cylinders coupled to each of said lever arms and to said vertically positioned legs operable to move said lever arms, second hydraulic cylinders coupled to each of said lever arms and to said hopper, said iirst and second hydraulic cylinders being operable to pivot said hopper about said pivots to dump said hopper to one side of said street sweeper; a conveyor for conveying debris to said hopper; a broom means operably associated with said conveyor and means for operating said conveyor and said first and second hydraulic cylinders.

5. A street sweeper, as claimed in claim 4, wherein said hopper includes a pair of gravity operated doors which normally close the top of said hopper, said doors being opened when said hopper is pivoted to one side of said street sweeper.

6. A street sweeper, as claimed in claim 5, |wherein one of said pair of gravity operated doors is adapted to open to form a chute and the other one thereof is `adapted to open to forma shield.

7. A hopper assembly for a street sweeper having a erably associated with said conveyor and means for operating said conveyor and said ibroom means comprising, in combination: a pivot frame having -a pair of spaced apart support members, each of said support members being adapted to be iixedly secured to said chassis of a street sweeper, pivots at the upper end of said support members, a hopper positioned between said support members and adapted to norm-ally rest on said chassis and pivoted upon said pivots at its upper end, at least one lever arm pivotally secured to one of said support members and to said hopper, means coupled to said lever arms and to said support members operable to move said lever arms to pivot said hopper to dump said hopper to one side of said street sweeper, and means for operating said hopper assembly.

8. A hopper assembly for a street sweeper having a chassis, a conveyor mounted on said chassis for conveying debris to said hopper assembly `and broom means operably associated with said conveyor and means for operating said conveyor and said broom means comprising, in combination: a pivot frame having a pair of spaced apart `support members, each of said support members being adapted to be xedly secured to a chassis of a street sweeper, pivots at the upper end of said support members, a hopper positioned between said support members and adapted to norm-ally rest on said chassis and pivoted upon said pivots at its upper end, a lever arm pivotally secured to each of said support members, irst hydraulic cylinders coupled to each of said lever arms and to said support members operable to move said lever arm, second hydraulic cylinders coupled to each of said lever arms and to said hopper, said first and second hydraulic cylinders being operable to pivot said hopper to dump said hopper to one side of said street sweeper, and means for operating said first and second hydraulic cylinders.

9. A hopper assembly for a street sweeper, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said hopper includes a pair of gravity `operated doors which normally close the top of said hopper, said doors being opened when said hopper is pivoted to one side of said street sweeper.

10. A hopper assembly for a street sweeper, as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of said pair of gravity operated doors lis adapted to open to form a chute and the other one thereof is adapted to open to form a shield.

11. A street sweeper as claimed in claim 1, having, in addition: gutter broom means secured beneath said hopper on at least one side of said street sweeper; and means for operating said gutter broom means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,179,548 4/1916 Mitchell 15-84 2,697,005 12/1954 Hagen etal 298-18 2,929,658 3/ 1960 Killebrew 298-8 3,083,058 3/1963 Walstrom et al 298-5 X 3,162,877 12/1964 Schmidt et al. 15-83 3,186,015 6/1965 Beyerstedt 15-84 3,186,016 6/1965 Gehman et al 15-87 X 3,210,120 10/1965 Gouin 298-177 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,217,672 12/1959 France.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

E. L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STREET SWEEPER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A CHASSIS; A HOPPER MOUNTED ON SAID CHASSIS FOR STORING DEBRIS; A CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CHASSIS FOR CONVEYING DEBRIS TO SAID HOPPER; A BROOM MEANS OPERABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONVEYOR MEANS; A PIVOT FRAME EXTENDING UPWARDLY TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOP OF SAID HOPPER, A PIVOT AT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID HOPPER ABOUT SAID PIVOT TO DUMP SAID HOPPER TO ONE SIDE OF SAID STREET SWEEPER. 